Author: Racquet Network

Racquet Network staff are certified experts. Many are also certified coaches. Racquet Network Experts undergo extensive training and product knowledge testing in order to ensure that we have the most knowledgeable staff in the racquet sports industry.
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Intro to Shoe Fittings in our Retail Store

Our retail store offers two different kinds of shoe service.

  1. General shoe fittings
  2. Trying on shoes that you have ordered online

Before you book an appointment for shoe service, it is important to understand what a general shoe fitting is and whether or not you should request one.

Who shoe fittings are for

Shoe fittings in the store are for customers who are seeking “a” shoe. When they come in for their appointment, our fitting experts determine the length, width and shape of their foot. They are then shown everything we have in-store at that moment that can be used for the context in which they are playing.

At no time can we guarantee that any particular brand model, size, or colour will be available to try one. Nor would we consider offering advice on a shoe that is not present in the store but may be available online.

With that in mind we do not offer shoe fittings for specific models because we cannot guarantee that we will have the one shoe that the customer wants in the size and color that they want.

Who shoe fittings are not for

Shoe fittings are not for customers who are looking for a specific shoe.

Customers who want a specific shoe may order that specific shoe on our website in a specific size/colour and choose SHIP TO STORE. Once that specific shoe arrives in store, they are notified so that they can make an appointment to come in and try that specific shoe on.

At that point they may keep it or decline it. If they decline it, a refund will be issued within three business days.

This option is available, but it is not considered a “shoe fitting”. It is considered an online order with an in-store pickup option. It is a service offered for online customers who rightfully fear buying a shoe online that doesn’t fit.

However, this is not a shoe fitting because you are not being assisted by an expert. In this situation, you are making your own decisions about whether or not the shoe fits. You are not getting advice from an expert.

Customers who want to browse

It is also important to understand that our store is not a self-serve retail sporting goods store in which customers come in and handle the merchandise and then leave it for our staff to restock.

We are not set up for browsing because we do not do business that way. Customers who want simply to browse, can do that online.

Our clients rely on our experts to help them find shoes that fit and that are perfect for the sport they are playing. We can’t do that if we have to spend all of our time cleaning up and re-boxing inventory behind browsers who are “just looking”. For that reason, we are not a browser-friendly store. We are unequivocally a service counter staffed by experts.

When you know you are ready

So, please. Take a few minutes to understand what a shoe fitting is before you request an appointment for a shoe fitting. If you are still in the just-looking stage or the maybe/maybe-not stage, then this is not the right time to ask for a fitting.

If you are “just shopping” or “just browsing, you can do that online.

If you are particular about the brand, model, or colour, then you are welcome to order it online and try it on before you commit to it.

When you get to a point where you must have a pair of shoes that fit properly and will work on the surface you are playing on, then that is the time to request an appointment for a fitting. Our staff will help you sort through our selection for something that is right for you.

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Ten Good Reasons We Don’t Answer the Phone Anymore

Why don’t you answer the phone?

We get this question a lot. This was a controversial policy when we first introduced it, but we are standing by it. Here are ten good reasons why.

Reason 1 – The Final Straw

We made the decision to stop answering our store phone in 2017 when we discovered that some people were arriving at our store when there were line-ups and then calling the store from the parking lot in order to jump to the front of the line.

At this point we decided that fair is fair. Customers who take the time to come into our store deserve excellent service. They do not deserve to have impatient people with cell phones jumping in line ahead of them.

Reason 2 – Background Noise and Crappy Reception

People call us from cell phones with crappy reception and all kinds of background noise. So we can’t understand them. People call us from cell phones and refuse to hold the microphones near their mouths. So we can’t understand them. People call us with language/accent issues. So we can’t understand them.

Please forgive us for not being smart enough to understand every one of the world’s many and diverse accents when we are talking to somebody we don’t know on cell phone with crappy reception and a whole lot of background noise. When a customer is standing in front of us in the store where we can see facial expressions and body language, we can always figure things out. So our preference is to deal with customers in person. This is the best way to ensure to everybody, regardless of where in the world their accent is from, gets the best service possible.

Reason 3 – Lack of Knowledge

People call us asking questions when they really don’t have enough information to ask the right question. Example: people will call us from Sport Chek asking us if we sell “the blue Babolat tennis racquet.” We sell lots of blue Babolat tennis racquets. Which model? Which year? Which length? Which weight? Graphite or Fused Graphite? We need more information than customers are usually able to give us over the phone. Trying to help somebody over the phone who does not have enough knowledge to ask the right the questions is not helpful to them. Customers who want technical advice like this, really need to come into our store and talk to an expert face to face. If they aren’t willing to do that, then we can’t give them good service.

Reason 4 – Price Checks

Our prices are on our website. They can be accessed 24/7. There is no need to call us for price checks.

Reason 5 – Inventory Checks

Some customers call us to find out if we have something specific in stock in store. Today. Right now.

We used to answer these questions. Then the customer would take a week (or more) to come into the store, by which time the thing they were looking for was gone. Or the color they wanted was gone. Or they would not come in at all. Or they would come in to find out that they asked the wrong questions about the wrong thing and would then blame it on our staff. They only way to prevent these issues is to conduct business in-store in person. That is the best way to ensure the best service.

Here’s a tip. If you want to know we have something in-store, come into the store and ask us. If you don’t want to waste a trip on something we might not have, order it online and choose SHIP TO STORE. We will notify you when it gets here.

Reason 6 – The Amazon Problem

Another major reason we stopped offering telephone service is the number of times a day that people would call our experts, keep them on the phone for 30 minutes, grill them about every detail, and then flat out tell us that they were buying the thing from Amazon. Really, dude? GFY. If you want to know about products being sold on Amazon, call Amazon. If you want customer service from us, visit an expert in-store.

Reason 7 – No Pen

Customers would call us with a long list of questions. We would say: “OK. Do you have a pen to write this down?” The response would be: “Oh. I’m sorry. I’m in my car on my way to Banff right now. Can you just send me an email?” … Click.

Reason 8 – The Secretary

This one is major waste of everybody’s time. The boss tells the secretary to call us to order a $300 racquet. The secretary — who really has no idea what she is ordering — relays the order to us by phone. We fill the order and customize the racquet based on the secretary’s words. Then we ship the order to the boss who immediately says the order is wrong. Of course, the secretary insists that she did everything right and we are to blame. Solution: bosses (or their secretaries) can place orders online. No need for phone service in this instance.

Reason 9 – Mr. Last Minute

The phone rings.

Voice: “Do you have time to string a racquet today?”
Staff: “Possibly. What kind of racquet?”
Voice: “It’s a Head racquet.”
Staff: “Is it for tennis, squash, badminton, or racquetball?”
Voice: “Tennis.”
Staff: “OK. I would have to see the racquet before I can make any promises, but we MAY be able to string it today.”
Voice: “I need it back today.”
Staff: “OK. There are 19 racquets ahead of you right now. So if you want to jump to the front of the line ahead of all of those other customers you can do it, but you have to pay for one-hour rush stringing.”
Voice: “How much is it?”
Staff: “Rush stringing is $XX.00 plus the price of the string.”
Voice: “What? That’s outrageous. I can get it done at this other place for less.”
Staff: “Cool. Is there anything else I can help you with.”
Voice: “I’m giving you a one-star review.”
Staff: “I’m sure you would give us zero stars, if you could.”

Reason 10 – The 30-Minute Call Problem

When a customer with a problem comes into our store in person, we can usually solve it in a few minutes. When we try to solve the same problem over the phone, it invariably takes 30 minutes. So please visit us in-store in person where we can help you solve your problems in a fraction of the time it takes to solve them over the phone.

The Bottom Line


The bottom line is that we want to offer our customers good service. We can’t do that over the phone. So please make an appointment and visit us in person.

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We Buy Used Tennis Racquets

We buy premium tennis frames from the following brands

  • Babolat
  • Yonex
  • Tecnifibre

We do not buy any other brands.

REQUIREMENTS

  • Must be 100% graphite premium frames.
  • We do not buy aluminum or fused graphite.
  • Remove all strings. We won’t even look at racquets with string in them.
  • Frames must not be more than 12 years old.
  • They must be clean – clean them with windex first then soap and water.
  • There must be no tape anywhere on the racquet.
  • Bumper guard must be intact – no broken bumper guards
  • If the grip/overgrip is not pristine, it must be removed.
  • Grommets must be intact.

COMPENSATION

    $80.00 store credit, if purchased from us.
    $40.00 store credit if purchased elsewhere.

HOW TO SELL THEM

Bring them into the store. Do not call. Do not email.

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Appointments

What do you want to do?

1. Shop/Browse
Due to the pandemic, we are not open for browsing/shopping right now. We have reorganized our store to a service counter set up (like Memory Express). Customers who just want to browse and check out prices can do that on our website. At present, we do not allow customers to wander around the store and handle merchandise.

2. Try-One-Before-You-Buy-One Racquet Demo Program
Our racquet demo program allows customers an opportunity to try racquets before buying them. The program is run out of the store and customers must attend the store in person in order to participate. If you wish to enter our demo program, or if you are already participating and want to make an appointment to swap out demo racquets, you can do that here

3. Request a SAFE Shoe Fitting Appointment
If you are coming into our store to try on shoes, we need to make sure that no other customers have touched the shoes you will be trying on in the past 24 hours. This requires coordination, especially for the most common sizes. Requiring appointments is the only way to organize this. Please make appointments at least three days ahead of time.

4. Request appointment (for something other than shoes).
Our goal is to communicate with customers as much as possible by email in order to minimize the need for face-to-face conversations. If you choose to make an appointment, please allow a few days lead time so that we can communicate via email before your visit. This will reduce risk on both sides.